The Challenge of Pain: Revised Edition

By Ronald Melzack and Patrick D. Wall

Book Overview

Over the years a scientific revolution has taken place in the field of bain research and therapy. A major catalyst for this change was the introduction in 1965 by Professor Ronald Melzack and Professor Patrick D. Wall of the 'gate control' theory of pain, which led to an explosion of research studies and new therapeutic approaches. In this informative and important study they explore the current status of pain research and treatment. Divided into four sections, the book describes the psychological and clinical aspects of pain, presents the rapidly increasing physiological evidence and examines the major theories of pain and their implications for its control. The authors emphasize the need to promote education regarding the treatment of pain among both health professionals and patients, arguing that many people suffer needlessly through ignorance of medical advances. In the final section they explain the exciting developments in pain control, in particular the radical approach to the control of chronic pain being pioneered by pain clinics and hospices. Book jacket.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140156607
• ISBN13: 9780140156607
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Useful introduction to pain

I'm a grad student currently doing a thesis which will probably on diabetic pain. I bought the challenge of pain in the hopes that it would be an in depth introduction to the topic of pain(which is one I did not originally know much about). I have found it to be very informative, with multiple citations and diagrams illustrating key principles. As many of the studies cited are from the 70s and 80s, it is also a very useful summary about the history of pain research. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting out in the field of pain, and probably anyone in the field already who would like to know more about it.

Challenge of pain

This is an extremely informative book. It is well written even for the lay reader.